3. Aligning Marketing with the B2B Buying Journey
3.3 Reading: Bain, “The Elements of Value” HBR (Excerpts)
This reading is from a Harvard Business Review (HBR) article written by consultants at Bain, a leading strategy consulting firm. This article discusses some research they conducted to identify what matters most to the people making decisions in B2B buying centers. They define 40 elements organized into five core groups that address needs at both organizational and individual levels. Read the first two sections, up to the middle of page 78, along with the associated graphics.
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Click here to access a copy of this article excerpt (requires UConn NetID)
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Comprehension Questions
- Define the four levels of Bain’s B2B value pyramid, and explain how value elements change as they are further up in the pyramid.
- Define the subcategories in each level of the pyramid and be able to provide examples of elements that fit in each subcategory.
- Explain the relationship that Bain found between delivering on the elements and customer loyalty.
Application Questions
- Which elements might be more important for people in different job positions? In the buying center? How about at different stages in the buying process?
- How does this article and the supporting content on Bain’s website support Bain’s own marketing activities?